Cannes Public Screening of 'The Pack' Cancelled

A few days ago, I posted news that Franck Richard's long awaited French horror flick, The Pack, would make its world debut at Cannes. The title was supposed to be featured as part of the Cinema De La Plage, an event where films are screened for the public for free on the nearby beach. However, French film board censors have stepped in and said "not so fast" -- citing the title's extreme content according to our friends at Twitch.

The official press release states that since the film may have "strong restrictions" when officially released, that it's not appropriate to air it in public where impressionable young minds can easily view it. Instead, the film will be screened in a regular theater, where officials can be more cognizant of the age of the people in attendance. The downside here is that far fewer people will have an opportunity to view the film. A press screening is still planned as well.

As Twitch mentions, the news must come as a disappointment to festival organizers, who were making this year's Cinema De La Plage more about premiering new and exciting films rather than just showing old releases.

Richard's movie is about a young woman forced into a fight for survival against a pack of bloodthirsty ghouls. No word on potential US distribution yet, but my fingers are crossed.